


Just Once

by nochick_fics



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Extramarital Affairs, First Time, M/M, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 05:18:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12005850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nochick_fics/pseuds/nochick_fics
Summary: Love is strong, but sometimes desire is stronger.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hikaru9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hikaru9/gifts).



> Written in 2008 for Hikaru9, aka Roo, a good friend who got me hooked on this pairing despite my best efforts to the contrary.

Edward Elric gazed around the Hughes’ living room and felt the old familiar sting of jealousy nipping at his conscience. There were no dead mothers here. No disappearing fathers. Everything was perfect in its comfort and coziness and it never ceased to trouble the teen that he and Al had been robbed of the joy that little Elysia was no doubt too young to appreciate. Perhaps that was why he so enjoyed being there.

Well, there was that.

But there were other reasons as well…

*****

He walked into the kitchen and found him there, bustling away over the stove and looking positively ridiculous in a frilly white apron. Ed smiled at the sight of him as he stirred a large pot of thick, meaty stew with all the concentration of a doctor performing the most delicate of surgeries. 

“Are you going to stand there and gawk or make yourself useful?” Maes asked, glancing up at him with a smirk. “Come here.”

He spooned out a sample of the simmering liquid and blew on it as Ed approached him. “Taste this,” he said, offering it to him.

“What, if I don’t croak then you’ll know it’s fit for human consumption?” Ed asked with a cheeky grin.

“Very funny. Just open your mouth,” Maes ordered, patently unaware that those words would have a most  _profound_ effect on the teen during future self-excursions.

Ed obediently opened his mouth and tasted the stew, nodding his approval. “Pretty good… but it needs more salt.”

“Yeah, I thought so,” Maes replied, turning back to the stove and motioning toward the kitchen counter. “There’s a bunch of carrots over there with your name on them. Get to work.”

“Fine,” Ed said with a melodramatic sigh. He made his way to the counter and slowly began chopping a carrot, taking no particular strides to slice them in even lengths. 

With his back to Maes, he finally allowed the pent-up adoration to surface by way of a warm smile of affection that he would be damned to let anyone else ever see. Especially him. Because even more than the familial atmosphere that being there afforded him,  _these_  were the moments that meant the most to him, being alone with Hughes without the hindering nuisance of the military or even--he was ashamed to admit--the man’s own wife and child. There was a different air about him in the absence those distractions. Gone was the zany and overzealous photo freak who was nary without the visual retrospective of the life of Elysia Hughes that he had readily available to spring on unsuspecting bystanders. This Hughes was more withdrawn than that. Quieter. To the untrained eye one might even think him a bit cold, although that wasn’t the case whatsoever. He still had his sense of wit and humor, but it was much less animated between the two of them; in truth he was… well… something of a smartass.  He also displayed a coy flirtatiousness that sometimes made Ed wonder if the feelings he could never bring himself to acknowledge aloud were mutual in some way.    
  
In fact, the only true similarity between the two personae was the ever-present intensity behind his eyes. Ed--who would never know the range of effect his own astonishing eyes had on many--had been captivated by them from the start. Who in their right mind could be bothered to worry about such mundane things as falling from the top of a speeding train to their imminent demise when caught under the scrutiny of that breathtaking emerald gaze? 

Simply put, this Hughes was  _his_  Hughes, the one reserved solely for his company. And the one whom he cherished most of all.

“So, Ed, do you plan on finishing those carrots today? Just wondering.”

Ed chuckled and put aside his fantasies. For now. He quickened his pace, thankful for the automail that comprised his right hand for fear of hacking it off with his less-than-professional culinary technique. “I’m getting there,” he insisted. “Sorry we can’t all slice and dice in record time.”

“Don’t tell me that the great Fullmetal Alchemist has met his match with the almighty carrot?” Maes grinned and walked over to him, peering over his shoulder at his botched handiwork. “Apparently he has.”

“Oh, shut up,” Ed muttered, trying to ignore the presence of the body standing directly behind him. And failing miserably. “It’s not like I do this every day.”

Maes reached around him and grabbed the knife from his left hand and it was all Ed could do to keep from jumping out of his skin from the shockwave that plummeted throughout his body from that brief bit of contact. The older man then moved his right hand around him to grip the carrot and proceeded to slice it, displaying a deftness that the teen had previously only ever witnessed in his use of push knives. Indeed, it was most impressive… although it was also the very  _last_  thing on Ed’s mind. 

“See? Nothing to it.”   
  
“Says you,” he shot back. How he kept his voice from breaking was a mystery even he could not decipher.  
   
As a result of the proximity between them, the touch of his hand, the low purr of his gently mocking voice, and the feel of his breath dancing against his neck, Ed became unraveled by the sensory overload. And when a pair of strong, firm hands descended upon his shoulders, he felt his entire body stiffen.  
  
_Everywhere._  
   
“You’re trembling,” Maes informed him with a distinct note of teasing.  

Ed let out a nervous snort of laughter and turned his head slightly to the left. “That’s because you’re practically on top of me.”

“Not quite…” Maes bent down and gently nuzzled his face against Ed’s ear. “Yet.” 

Ed shuddered and moaned softly, tilting his head back and melting under the dizzying contrast of the smooth skin and facial hair that rubbed against him, his body all but consumed by a windstorm of untethered desire. How long had he hoped and prayed and wished for a moment like this to become more than just a bedtime delusion culminating in nothing more than the disappointment of a dissipating dream and ruined bedding? Even if he couldn’t keep him in the end, even if he could never have more than this, it was already more than anything he had ever dared to believe possible. 

But if he  _could_  have him once... 

Just once. 

Then after that, he would try to let him go. He would try to move past this seemingly insatiable crush. He would even try to resume a mere friendship with him and his family, free from the binds of his selfish wants. He really  _would_ try. 

Well… he would _try_  to try.

The one thing he  _couldn’t_  do was try to resist.

Ed leaned back into Maes’ chest, almost losing the very last of his coherent mind over what he felt pressing against his back.

“Tell me what you want,” Maes whispered into his ear, easing his right hand down Ed’s chest and using his fingers to trace along the outline of the teen’s chiseled abdomen. 

“… I want you to--”

“We’re back!”

Gracia stepped into the kitchen and stopped suddenly.  The bag of groceries fell from her arms and landed on the floor with a dull thud as her kind, ever-smiling visage melted into one of shock. And horror. 

And outrage.

_“What in the world is going on in here?”_


	2. Chapter 2

“We’re back!”  
  
Maes spun around and gaped in horror as his wife entered the kitchen, his heartbeat thundering wildly in his chest and throat, and racking his brain for a perfectly plausible explanation as to why he was presently feeling up their teenaged company. Not that his roaming hands would have even been immediately noticeable from that angle, but sheer panic did have a way of magnifying things.  
  
_“What in the world is going on in here?”_  
  
However, instead of laying into her husband about the adulterer he was--or so desperately wanted to be where Ed was concerned--Gracia stepped over the fallen bag and marched directly to the stove. She stared down into the pot with her eyebrows drawn together in irritation.  
  
“Maes Hughes. You added water to this, didn’t you?”  
  
Did he? At that particular moment, Maes wasn’t even sure of his own name, let alone what he did or didn’t do to the damn stew. “Uh…”  
  
“And salt!” Gracia turned away in disgust from the spoon she had just used to taste the extent of the damage caused by her untrustworthy husband. “There’s way too much salt in this. All you had to do was stir it and add the carrots… which aren’t even in here yet.”  
  
She let out an exasperated sigh while turning to look at him with a firm, almost parental glare and Maes had never in his life thought that he would be so grateful for wearing a woman’s apron which--he could only hope--camouflaged the…  _extent…_  of his current situation.  
  
“I’m sorry, honey,” he offered, walking towards her with a charming, albeit forced, smile. He wasn’t, really, but he had also been married long enough to know when to pick his battles. “Forgive me?”  
  
As usual, his wiles proved too irresistible to ignore and Gracia shook her head in defeat. “Of course I do, you big dolt,” she said, tapping the spoon against his forehead for emphasis. “When haven’t I ever forgiven you for the stunts you pull?”  
  
“I’m gonna go see what Al and Elysia are up to,” Ed announced loudly, turning around and taking great care to look something,  _anything_ other than the green eyes that silently appraised him. “Carrots are done,” he added, moving away from the counter and making his way to the kitchen door. He stopped to pick up the fallen bag and handed it to Gracia.  
  
“Thank you so much, Edward,” she said, smiling warmly.  
  
“Welcome,” the teen muttered, quickly stepping out of the kitchen.  
  
“What a sweet boy,” she observed. “Both of them are. I don’t think Elysia could have two better big brothers if we’d had them ourselves.” She handed the bag to Maes and went over to the counter to grab the cutting board. “Well, they  _are_ practically like our sons anyway.”  
  
Maes recoiled inwardly at his wife’s words. He really did not need to hear that right now, especially not when he was so hard for one of those “practically-like-his-sons” that he was about to explode in his pants.  
  
“I thought you were going to take the kids to the park,” he said, desperate to change the subject. It was the reason he had even bothered making a move on Ed in the first place. A park outing with Elysia normally set them back for at least two hours; Maes honestly believed that the child would live there if she could.  
  
“I was going to,” Gracia replied, sweeping Ed’s carrot hackjob into the pot. “But then I started thinking… Elysia probably wouldn’t want to leave for a couple of hours--you know, I honestly think that girl would live there if she could? Anyway, the weather forecast called for rain so I thought it would just be best to come right back instead of getting caught in it.”  
  
“Hm.” Maes obediently set about putting groceries away. The dull, throbbing pain of denial settled into him and he welcomed it with open arms. Not because he wanted to, but because it beat dwelling on the guilt of what he was seeking to do behind his wife’s back… No, that wasn’t exactly right. It was the guilt of knowing full well he had  _no intention whatsoever_ of stopping until he had done it. Her early arrival, while most disappointing, did nothing whatsoever to quell his desire for Ed, especially now that he knew for certain that the feeling was mutual.  
  
“Where do you want these?” he asked over his shoulder, holding up a package of cookies.  
  
“Cupboard closest to the fridge,” Gracia answered.  
  
He wasn’t gay. He knew that much. And while Ed wasn’t necessarily the first man to whom he had ever felt an attraction, this was different.  
  
_Ed_ was different.  
  
Ed was… special.  
  
And it wasn’t just about sex, although Maes fully admitted to himself that he wanted to do things to Ed that vehemently defied the dullness of the vanilla-sweet intercourse to which he had become accustomed with Gracia. He really  _cared_ about Ed. There wasn’t a single hardship through which the teen had suffered in all the years he’d known him that Maes didn’t suffer along with him, no point in time during any of their shared conflicts in which he hadn’t been ready and willing to lay down his life to protect him. And, were it only so simple a solution, no amount of flesh too small to sacrifice for him to be whole. Outside of his family, there was only one other man alive who could boast such a claim on Maes’ heart. But even Roy had never won his affection like this.  
  
He supposed… no, he  _knew_ that at least on some level he loved Ed. Perhaps not in the romantic sense of the word, but what he felt definitely transcended the bounds of an ordinary friendship. Wanting to sleep with him was merely a…  _side effect_  of sorts, one that he was completely helpless to resist.  
  
Just once.  
  
If he could only be with him once…  
  
Then, once his physical yearning was sated, he would try to revert back to a normal friendship with the teen, without the flirting and the innuendo. He would try to go back to being the ideal husband and father, without the constant barrage of fantasies that plagued him. He really  _would_  try.  
  
“Honey? Are you finished?”  
  
Maes stared down into the empty bag. For the life of him, he could not recall what he put where. “Yeah.” He turned around and was mildly disturbed at the ease with which he smiled into his wife’s eyes. “Do you need me to do anything else?”  
  
“Mm… no. I think you’ve already done enough,” she said with a good-natured wink. “Why don’t you go keep the kids company until dinner’s ready?”  
  
“Sure.” Maes stripped off the apron and left it on the counter. Under the guise of grabbing a drink from the refrigerator, he took the long way around the kitchen to leave. He wasn’t the least bit thirsty… but neither did he want to risk having to kiss Gracia, especially knowing what he had fully intended to do with his mouth in her absence.  
  
He stepped into the living room and saw Ed, Al, and Elysia on the floor, huddled over a board game. Elysia spotted him first and smiled, and Maes felt a knot loosen around his heart.  
  
“Hi, Daddy!”  
  
She stood up and bolted over to him, carrying a doll that he had never seen before. Then again, she had so many of them that it was possible she’d had it for years and never noticed it before. The little girl jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly, showering his face with kisses.  
  
“Hey, sweetheart.” He scrunched his face and chuckled at the assault of adoration. “What are you and the boys doing out here?”  
  
“Just playin’ games.”  
  
“Or trying to, but Brother won’t stop cheating,” Al piped in. “Hello, Mr. Hughes.”  
  
“Hi, Al.” Maes took one look at Ed’s petulant scowl and grinned. “Yeah, you gotta watch out for The Great Fullmetal Cheater.”  
  
“Hey, Hughes?  _Bite me_ ,” Ed grumbled.  
  
_“Brother!”_  
  
Their eyes met briefly across the room. Ed favored him with a small, lopsided smile before turning back to the game. Maes was thrilled to see it, thrilled to know that the teen obviously hadn’t--  
  
_(grown a conscience)_  
  
\--had second thoughts about what had happened between them. Deep down, it occurred to him that it was probably not something that should elate him, but still… he was. Very much so.  
  
“Look Daddy!” Elysia held up the doll for him to see. “See what Big Brother Ed transmooted for me?”  
  
Maes admired the doll, which was an exact replica of Elysia. No amount of money could have possibly ever purchased one as perfect. “It’s gorgeous,” he said with true awe in his voice.  
  
He carried her over to the boys and sat down on the floor beside Ed, watching their fierce, brotherly competition while Elysia entertained herself with her newest and most favorite creation… that was, until she convinced her Big Brother Ed to “transmoot” something else for her. Despite their brief kitchen rendezvous, it wasn’t unusual or out of place at all for the two of them to be close in such a way; in all the years the boys had been a part of their lives, he and Ed had naturally migrated toward one another, as Al did to Gracia. The last thing he wanted to do was  _purposely_  distance himself from the teen, something that certainly would not have gone unnoticed by any of them, even Elysia.  
  
It was the perfect cover to their crime, this anticipated closeness that they shared. How many times had he been able to get away with a lingering look or touch because of it? Of course, it wasn’t as if Gracia or Al would ever expect those things to mean what they truly meant. What person in their right mind would ever even stop to suspect something more untoward between them?  
  
When dinner was finally served, it was as joyous and lively an event as always. The stew turned out perfect, although Elysia couldn’t help but point out that the carrots looked “funny.” Al bested them all in subsequent helpings; even Ed couldn’t keep up after the fourth bowl. And by the time dessert was over and the last dish had been cleared from the table, Maes had managed once again--for the most part--to relegate his urges to the back of his mind where they would do him the least amount of harm…  
  
… until later that night when the rain finally came and Gracia asked him to take the boys home.  
  
*****  
  
“You missed the turn, Hughes.”  
  
“I know I missed the turn, Ed.”  
  
“So then… do you plan on turning at any point or are we just going to drive straight ahead forever?”  
  
“Smartass.” Maes dutifully signaled and turned, retracing their traveled route in order to find the road that led to Ed and Al’s home. A quick glance at the teen found him gazing out into the stormy night, and Maes could clearly see Ed’s smile in the reflection of the window.  
  
“Thanks for taking us home,” the teen said with soft gratitude… and something else.  
  
“No problem,” Maes replied. “Couldn’t very well let the two of you walk home in the rain.”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
Ed lightly tapped his fingers against the cool glass and Maes could almost hear his mind reeling with the possibilities that he had already considered himself the moment Gracia asked him to take them home. While he hardly believed that fate would be so kind as to swing in favor of his infidelity, it was far too perfect an opportunity to pass up.  
  
He couldn’t wait any longer. His body would not allow it, especially after experiencing the brief yet incomparable feel of Ed in his arms. If he didn’t do something now, he thought he would likely go insane from waiting for another chance.  
  
A loud snore rose from the backseat, where Al was stretched out on his back and dozing soundly, his contorted body tangled in his seatbelt and resting his head on a covered casserole dish that Gracia had prepared for him and Ed.  
  
Maes chuckled softly at the sound, which was not unlike a small freight train in the close confines of the car. He shook his head with a smile and pulled into the driveway of the small house that the brothers shared.  
  
“Here we are,” he said, parking the car and shutting off the ignition.  
  
While Maes kept a steadying arm on a wobbly and incoherent Al, Ed unlocked the front door and let them into the house. Once inside, he dragged his brother off to bed as Maes nosed around the refrigerator to make room for the dish that Gracia had sent along. He laughed out loud when he saw a container of milk that was sequestered in a remote corner unto itself, complete with skull and crossbones crudely drawn onto it to warn anyone who might come across it of the inherent mortal danger of bone-building calcium.  
  
He wandered back into the living room and studied the pictures on the walls, trying not to think about his body’s growing excitement. One picture in particular caught his eye and he stopped in front of it, staring thoughtfully at it until Ed came back into the room.  
  
“Do you think he’ll ever come back?” he asked.  
  
“I don’t know. And I don’t care.”  
  
Maes nodded in understanding, although he wasn’t entirely convinced that Ed was telling the whole truth. A fierce surge of protectiveness momentarily blotted out his lust as he considered the many, many ways he would like to assault Hohenheim should the opportunity ever present itself. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what kind of bastard would leave his wife to die and his children to fend for themselves, and he didn’t want to know.  
  
Although if nothing else, and as selfish as he felt for admitting it, this moment might not have existed at all if not for the unfortunate chain reaction caused by the man's disappearance. This moment which, right now, he wanted more than anything.  
  
Maes turned around and gazed across the room at the teen, who looked at him with poorly concealed expectation. He wished that there were some possible way to prolong this; he didn’t want to feel rushed and he didn’t want to have to hurry. He wanted to be able to take his time and savor every single second of this experience, because it wasn’t going to happen again. But in the end, he could only make the most of what fate, or coincidence, allowed them. It wasn’t ideal, but at least it was something.  
  
“Do you… want a… drink?” Ed asked with a shrug, at least somewhat mindful that he should offer his company something.  
  
Maes bit back a smile as he briefly considered asking for a glass of milk. Instead, he shook his head, deciding it best not to incur the young man's wrath for now. So instead, he walked over to Ed and stood directly in front of him.  
  
“No, thank you.”  
  
He reached down with his right hand and cupped the left side of Ed’s neck, sweeping his thumb along the teen’s cheek. Shuddering slightly, Ed closed his eyes and leaned into his touch. Maes was almost certain that Ed wasn't the least bit aware of the small whimper that escaped him when he did it.  
  
He could have happily stared at the rapture on his face forever. But since he couldn’t, he bent over and kissed him softly on the lips. It was a little awkward, given the considerable height difference between them, but the awkwardness did nothing at all to detract from the pleasure. Ed gasped and jolted when Maes parted his lips and eased his way into his mouth. He ran his hands along the older man's chest and grabbed onto his shirt as Maes kissed him deeply, using his tongue to explore every inch of his mouth and gently nibbling at his lower lip as he finally broke away, leaving him breathless and trembling.  
  
“Do… you… wanna see my room?”  
  
Maes nodded thoughtfully. “Sure.”  
  
Ed led him into a small bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. He flipped on the light and turned around to face him.  
  
“We just have to be quiet,” he whispered. “Al’s right across the-- _ahh_!”  
  
Ed closed his mouth with a snap and breathed harshly through his nose as Maes pushed him against the door and dove onto his neck, licking and sucking and biting at the sensitive skin. He slid his right hand down Ed’s chest, past the belt of his pants, and grabbed onto him, prompting another choked cry from the teen. Maes began rubbing him through the black leather and winced as strong hands dug into his shoulders and squeezed. He was dimly aware of the fact that he shouldn’t let Ed do anything to mark him but he didn’t care. Right now, he didn’t care about anything other than the frantic moans of pleasure that were building around him as he stroked Ed’s erection and grinded his own against him.  
  
Without letting him go, Maes pulled back and took in Ed’s flushed face and heaving chest before kissing him again. This time, Ed returned it in full, cramming his tongue into Maes’ mouth and plundering it. What he lacked in experience, he made up for in vigor and Maes happily let him take the lead as he moved his hand up Ed’s waist and unzipped his pants, reaching inside and taking hold of him, feeling his own cock throb in reaction to the heat and hardness of Ed against his palm. Without waiting for him to start, Ed began to thrust into his fist, which quickly became slick with wetness. He then wrapped his arms around Maes’ neck, moaning into his mouth with increased frequency and urgency as Maes stroked him harder and faster, breaking their kiss and pressing his face into the older man’s chest to let out a muffled cry, bucking hard into Maes’ hand as he came, shuddering uncontrollably and holding onto him for dear life as his legs no longer consented to support him.  
  
Maes wrapped his left hand around Ed’s waist and held him closely, kissing him along the forehead. After a few moments, he peeked down at the motionless teen and lightly nudged him with his chin.  
  
“You alive?”  
  
“Mmmm.”  
  
Maes grinned happily. “Do me a favor and take off your shirt.”  
  
With a tired grunt, Ed fumbled out of his shirt and offered it to Maes, who pulled his hand out of Ed’s pants and used it to wipe himself clean.  
  
“Hey, that’s my shirt,” Ed griped, as if Maes did not know this.  
  
“Yeah, and it’s your cum, too,” Maes pointed out, tossing the shirt aside when he was done.  
  
Ed smirked against Maes’ chest. He slid his hands under the older man’s shirt and lifted it up, running his hands along his back. The coolness of Ed’s automail felt good against his skin, especially given the unimaginable amount of heat it seemed his body was generating. He wanted to be inside of Ed so badly right now that he could think of little else and he was so preoccupied with his longing that he was completely thrown off guard by what Ed said next:  
  
“Fuck me.”  
  
Maes moved back and stared into Ed’s face, which was scarlet from embarrassment but perfectly clear in its intent.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Before… when you asked me what I wanted you to do,” Ed explained. “… That’s what I want.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Maes asked, although he already knew the answer; once Edward Elric set his mind to something, he refused to stop until he had accomplished his goal. But still, it was only right to ask.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Ed locked his arms around Maes’ neck and leaned up on his toes to kiss him. Maes drew him close and they stumbled their way across the room to Ed’s bed. They reluctantly broke it off and Maes sat down on the edge of the bed, trying not to gawk at the inviting patch of dark blond hair that was now right at eye level as it wasn’t helping his stamina one bit. Ed wasted no time in seeking to return the favor by reaching between Maes’ legs--  
  
“Wait,” Maes warned, grabbing his wrist. “I can’t… I’m not going to last if you do that.” He saw a brief flash of humor in the teen’s amber eyes and felt a blush rising in his face. “Oh, shut up.”  
  
Ed redirected his roaming hands and carefully removed Maes' glasses before peeling off his shirt. They made short work of the rest of their clothing and Maes wasn’t sure if he should have been flattered or worried when Ed’s eyes bulged at the sight of his erection.  
  
He gently coerced Ed into the bed and onto his back, easing his body on top of him and taking great care to bear the bulk of his weight on his elbows so as not to crush him. He tore his eyes away from Ed’s golden gaze and let it fall downward, from his neck, which bore the faint red markings of his mouth’s attention, to his chest. Maes reached out and ran his fingers over the skin just along Ed’s automail; it was something he had always wanted to do. He heard Ed moan faintly and frowned when he looked up and saw the teen’s eyes squeezed shut, almost in self-defense. Maes knew that, in spite of all his bravado, Ed was extremely sensitive about having the metal limbs but seeing that sensitivity firsthand still bothered him to no end, as if he could somehow protect the boy from his own damaged self-image.  
  
Maes moved his hand away from the jagged flesh and brought it to his left nipple, circling the outside of it and watching in fascination as it became instantly hard. He leaned down and lapped at it with his tongue, very much aware of the way Ed’s body froze beneath him. He did it again, taking his time to drag it across, before devouring it completely, sucking it slowly amidst a chorus of gasps and moans. He felt a stirring beneath his abdomen and began licking his way down Ed’s body, pressing hard against him to create friction. While the teen was capable of little more than panting and shuddering, Maes brought his left arm down and hooked it under Ed’s right knee. He lifted the teen’s leg up and draped it across his shoulder as he took Ed’s erection into his right hand. Maes, whose own cock was now a hard, sticky mess, closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of him before opening his mouth and taking him, feeling him slide against his lips and tongue until he hit the back of his throat.  
  
Ed let out a startled cry as he grabbed onto Maes’ hair and thrust upwards. Maes braced Ed’s hips to prevent him from doing so, as much as he loved the idea of Ed fucking his mouth. He held the teen down while he sucked him off and while he was hardly a pro, Ed’s convulsive writhing was enough to convince him that he was doing it a decent job of it.  
  
By now, though, body truly couldn’t handle the neglect much longer. Maes stuck his right middle finger into his mouth, moistening it with the mixture of Ed’s pre-cum and his saliva. He could hear Ed’s breath catch in his throat as he moved his hand toward its objective, rubbing it gently. He turned his head and began sucking on the skin along his inner thigh as he slowly pressed his way in, pushing his way deeper into Ed’s body until his finger was buried to the last knuckle. He glanced up at Ed for signs of pain or discomfort and saw none, which made him briefly wonder whether or not this was something he did to himself on occasion.  
  
Encouraged by the suspicion, Maes hooked his finger ever so slightly--  
  
_“Ohhhh!”_  
  
\--and felt the teen tighten reflexively around him as his eyes flew wide open in astonishment and his cock shifted eagerly against his stomach in response to the stimulation. Maes continued fingering him, slowly working in his index finger as well. Ed grabbed onto his cock and began stroking it, driving his hips up as it slid through his fist and then back to force Maes’ fingers deeper. Mesmerized by the sight, Maes considered adding a third finger, but it would have been difficult going without any additional lubricant. Luckily, his body seemed to be taking care of that for him; the sheet beneath him was drenched.  
  
He couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to be inside of him. Right now.  
  
Maes pulled out his fingers and lifted himself up to his knees. Ed reached up and grabbed his pillow with both hands, raising his hips and wrapping his legs high around the older man’s waist. Maes hardly felt qualified for the amount of trust being placed in him, not when part of him only wanted fuck him like his life depended on it. He leaned forward, pushing firmly against Ed until he felt the tip of his cock slip inside of him. Ed shuddered and groaned as he tightened his hold on Maes’ waist. Maes tried desperately not to think about how warm and tight Ed felt as he began fucking him gently, forcing his way deeper into the teen with each painstakingly measured thrust. He moved his right hand up and grabbed onto Ed’s left, wrapping his other one around Ed’s leg and working himself the rest of the way in, stopping long enough to gain his composure. When he finally felt like he could move without coming, he began moving gingerly, not wanting to rush, his mind and body threatening to cave under the assault on his senses and the one singular awareness that heightened them all to the point of near insanity:  
  
_I’m… fucking… Ed…_  
  
It was too much, all of the months and even--truthfully-- _years_ of subdued desire finally culminating into this moment. Maes felt his body quickly careening over the edge; there was no way to stop it. He let go of Ed’s hand and grabbed his cock instead, stroking it hard and fast and teasing the slick tip with his thumb, hoping like hell that the wet, sloshing sound of jerking him off wasn’t nearly as loud as it seemed. Ed thrashed wildly beneath him, gripping his wrist and letting out a voiceless scream as he came again. Maes wanted to enjoy the ecstasy of watching Ed’s orgasm play out for a little while longer, but he was entirely too far gone for such a luxury. He reached up and gripped the top edge of the bed, ramming his way into Ed with all of his strength, once… twice… three times… four times… and then coming on the fifth thrust, coming hard, harder than he had ever come before in his life, so hard that it almost hurt, burying his face into the side of Ed’s neck and crying out hoarsely with no regard for anything other than the two of them, his cock still spasming long after there was nothing left for it to give, and finally collapsing on top of the spent teen, unable to do little more than shiver helplessly in the arms that wrapped around him.  
  
Seconds passed. Then minutes. The shivering slowly dissipated. Finally coherent enough to realize that he was probably crushing the poor kid, Maes heaved his way off Ed’s body and collapsed beside him, leaving one arm draped across his chest.  
  
“... Are you okay?” he croaked.  
  
Ed smiled tiredly at the ceiling. “Yeah. Are you?”  
  
“Mm-hm.” Maes propped himself up on one elbow. “You don’t suppose we woke Al, do you?” Oddly enough, Maes found that he didn’t care if Al found out he was there. Perhaps he would feel differently after the afterglow, but right now? Not one concern in the least.  
  
Ed absentmindedly ran his hand along the arm on his chest. “I don’t know. It was hard to hear anything what with all the screaming in my ear.”  
  
Maes chuckled and let his head fall back onto the bed. “It wasn’t that bad.”  
  
The teen craned his head in the direction of Al’s room and listened for a moment. “It’s okay,” he said. “If he was awake, he’d be stumbling around out there on purpose to make sure I knew he was awake. That’s usually his way of telling me to keep it down when I’m…” Ed's face reddened considerably. “… Alone.”  
  
“You’re  _that loud_ when you--?”  
  
_“No.”_  Ed flushed even more and rolled over onto his side, dragging Maes’ arm with him.  
  
Maes kissed the back of his head and wrapped him in both arms, knowing that he shouldn't be doing it. But it just felt so... nice...  
  
“You have to go now?” Ed asked in a small voice.  
  
Maes nodded reluctantly. “I'm sorry. I really wish I could stay.”  
  
Ed let out a small sigh. He brought the hand he was holding up to his mouth and kissed it, and Maes felt something in his heart break. He pulled Ed onto his back and kissed him hard… deeply… slowly… one last time before breaking away and looking into his warm, sad eyes.  
  
Maes hesitantly released him and slid out of the bed. He threw on his clothes, making a mental note to hit the bathroom as soon as he got home. And if Gracia questioned why he did so, he would just blame it on the stew. Ed got up, wincing and wobbling, and retrieved a pair of shorts from his drawer.  
  
“I’ll go out first to make sure Al’s not up,” he explained, slipping them on.  
  
Ed opened the bedroom door and poked out his head. After seeing that Al's door was still closed, he crept out into the hallway and motioned for Maes to follow him. The two of them sneaked into the living room and Ed quietly opened the front door.  
  
“Well… goodnight,” he said, staring down at the floor.  
  
Unable to help himself, Maes bent down and nuzzled his face against Ed’s. He wanted to kiss him again, he wanted it so badly, but he also knew that he wouldn’t stop if he did.  
  
“Goodnight.”  
  
He forced himself to move away, much to the disappointment of his body. And his heart. He turned around and stepped out into the night without looking back. And when he heard the door close shut behind him, despite half-hoping that Ed would call him back, he strengthened his resolve to put--  
  
_(the affair)_  
  
\--behind him and move on. Not just for his family’s sake but for Ed’s as well. It was the right thing to do… it really was.  
  
Even if it was the last thing he wanted.  
  
*****  
  
“Maes?”  
  
Maes slid into the bed and smiled at the tuft of bedhead that poked out from beneath the blanket. She was always so damn prim that he found he adored her most when she wasn’t.  
  
“It’s me,” he announced, as if it could possibly be anyone else.  
  
“What took you so long?”  
  
“Ed and I got to talking about work,” Maes explained, hunkering down beneath the blanket and resting his head on the pillow. “I would have called, but I figured you had already gone to bed.”  
  
“Oh. Okay.” She leaned toward him and he turned his head just in time to offer her a cheek. “Goodnight, honey.”  
  
“Goodnight.”  
  
Of course he wouldn’t go forever without kissing her properly. But for tonight, just tonight, his body still belonged to Ed.

He closed his eyes, reliving the past two hours for hours.

Sleep was going to be a long time coming.  
  
*****  
  
Just as Maes was about to wander into the kitchen to forage for food, the doorbell rang. He did an about-face and walked over to the door, much to the protest of his grumbling stomach.  
  
“Hey.”   
  
Ed held out the casserole dish that Gracia had given him and Al a week earlier. “Um… I just wanted to drop this off. I can’t say how it tasted because Al ate it all.”  
  
Maes took it from him with a smile. When it came to Al, that sounded just about right.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
He honestly hadn’t expected to see him again so soon. While Maes had caught glimpses of that famed red coat on a few occasions during the past week, he had also gone out of his way to avoid certain places at Central where they may have normally ended up in each other’s company, thinking it best to give them both some time to deal with what had happened between them in their own respective way.  
  
And therein laid the problem.  
  
Maes had been able to think of little else since that night. It permeated every waking moment of his day and on the nights when he actually  _could_  sleep, his dreams were fused with the same recurring theme of Ed. Touching him… holding him… kissing him… fucking him… Two nights ago, he’d awakened to such an overbearing erection that he truly had no other alternative but to lock himself in the bathroom and masturbate like some insatiably horny teenager. The idea of making love to his wife, which had already become less appealing in its boringness as the years went by, now revolted him; luckily, their sex life had become one of such infrequence that he knew he had at least another two or three week window before the subject would even be broached again. And, since he was usually the one who did the broaching, he thought that perhaps he might be able to get away with it a little longer.  
  
He was at a loss to explain it, this sudden resounding preference for the boy's metal and jagged flesh and chiseled abdomen over his wife's breasts and softness and curves. Maes never expected a one-time indulgence to completely reshape him in such a way and now that it had, he had no idea what to do about it.  
  
“Hughes?”  
  
“Huh? Oh, sorry.” Maes shook his head and smiled sheepishly. “What’d you say?”  
  
“I asked if Elysia was awake. I thought I’d transmute something for her while I was here.”  
  
“Oh. Actually--”  
  
_No no no no no no_  
  
“--she and Gracia are… out of town this weekend… visiting her parents. Gracia’s parents, that is.”  
  
“… Oh.” Ed’s eyes quickly darted to the side but not before Maes could see the hope behind them.  
  
_Don’t invite him in don’t invite him in don’t invite him in don’t invite him in_  
  
“Do you want to come in?”  
  
Ed met his eyes again and nodded slowly. “Yeah,” he whispered.  
  
Maes stood back and let him enter the house, closing the door behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt a pair of arms circle his waist and squeeze him tightly, silencing the faint, futile voice of protest in his conscience. He covered Ed’s arms with his own, closing his eyes and sighing deeply, cursing his traitorous heart for the happiness that consumed him over the second chance he hadn’t dared hope to receive.  
  
Just once more.  
  
If they could be together just once more, without brothers sleeping in the next room over or the annoying constraints of time. If they could just have that,  _then_ they could put it all behind them and move on as friends. He hadn't had a proper chance to get his desire out of his system--it was as simple as that.  
  
... or so he thought as their lips collided and they melted to the floor together for what he honestly believed would be the last time.  



	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maes reflects on the past year of his affair with Ed.

Maes was hard pressed to pinpoint the exact date and time when he had fully absolved himself of the shame and guilt he once felt over fucking Ed in the bed that he shared with his wife. Now, where there was once an almost unbearable sense of self-loathing in what he was doing, resided instead a somewhat cautious but undeniable sort of contentment. Happiness, even, to some degree. As much as he lived and breathed his daughter's existence, Maes looked forward to Gracia and Elysia's monthly excursions to his in-laws; although he and Ed had continued keeping up their familial and platonic appearances over the past year, the older man often found it downright torturous to be in such close proximity to the teen without being able to touch him in the ways he so desperately desired.   
  
Luckily, now was not one of those times.   
  
He shifted slightly in the bed and smiled to himself when he felt a small, tired moan against his chest and the coolness of an automail arm as it tightened around his stomach. Although neither of them were brave enough just yet to chance Ed sleeping over for an entire night in Gracia's absence, moments such as these--basking in the waning light of day with their sated bodies intertwined--brought a joy to Maes that he hadn't felt in a very long time outside of the day Elysia was born, a joy that he wasn't remotely ready to relinquish now that he had finally allowed himself to embrace it. Of course, it wouldn't last forever; he had a daughter to raise, after all, and Ed had his entire career ahead of him. Any sort of  _real_  relationship between them was completely out of the question. But such thoughts of the future, along with any consequences that might arise, were the furthest thing from his mind. 

Indeed, this affair... it would come to an end someday, assuming their little secret remained a little secret. 

But  _that_  remained to be seen.   


 


End file.
